When you watch the May Day demonstrations, there are some points that you first try to understand. Let's list a few of them immediately: Which demands stand out? How is the participation of workers to a workers' holiday? What is the composition of the field? What is the main promise of this field?

This May Day took place before a critical election in which everyone was complaining about price hikes, and repression and detentions were on automatic.

We can say that all this gave colour to the banners, demands and slogans of this May Day in Maltepe, İstanbul.

In our observation of the field, which we started from Kartal, the first thing we saw was a small banner in a group right next to the buses waiting to take Kartal Municipality workers and CHP members, which read: "The price rises have gone beyond the meat, they've hit the bone. Did you hear that?"

During our march towards Maltepe, we came across banners saying "Potato onion, bye bye Erdoğan", which is becoming popular now. Another banner we came across read: "One vote for Erdoğan to go, one vote for my pot to boil."

In the TMMOB cortege, there was a large banner with drawings of Gezi prisoners and the words "No one can touch our innocence. Gezi is our honour" was immediately visible.

We are going to this May Day with the arrests and detentions of Kurdish press workers in house raids. Journalists who want to raise their voices against these repressions are also detained and subjected to violence. The DİSK-affiliated Basın-İş Trade Union was on the field with a banner reading "Freedom for journalists, news and labour" and Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) with a banner reading "Raises, censorship, firing, those who oppose are side by side".

The demand for a livable wage was prominent on the banners of various labour unions, along with the reaction to the hikes.

TKP, TKH and the Left Party, which make up the Socialist Power Union, were among the cortege we came across on our way from Kartal to the square. The CHP cortege, which called for elections on 14th May with the speech of CHP İstanbul Provincial Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu, was also noteworthy.
Many left, socialist, parties and movements were on the road to the square with their cortege. We were able to see the Labour and Freedom Alliance, the Green Left Party, EMEP, TİP and others that make up this alliance only after their arrival, during their entrance to the area.

While we were in the press section behind the stage set up in the area, it was a very nice surprise to come across our writer and Turkish Medical Association (TTB) President Şebnem Korur Fincancı, whom we had not been able to meet since her release from prison. Her presence is always uplifting.

When we went up to the stage to take photographs when the area was only half full, Tarkan's song "Geççek" was played. It was certainly a meaningful choice for a May Day rally held before the elections.

Although there was a vibrancy in terms of worker and labourer participation, it can be said that the character of this May Day, together with the participation of political parties, was to send a strong message to the elections on 14th May.

The unions we came across in the field were Birleşik Metal-İş, Genel-İş, Gıda-İş, Basın-İş affiliated to DİSK, TÜMTİS, Tez Koop-İş, Sağlık-İş, DERİTEKS, T. Harb-İş, TGS, Liman-İş affiliated to Hak-İş. A branch president of a union we spoke to said that there were unorganised workers who came to the area. TMMOB, TTB and KESK were also among the organisations that stood out. Undoubtedly there are many more organisations that we cannot list here.

One of the most creative expressions in Maltepe on May Day was reflected in the photo taken by Şenay Aydemir and shared on Twitter. The banner signed by recycling workers read as follows: "This fight is between the paper collectors and scammers! Biji 1 Gulan. [Long live 1 May - in Kurdish]" This article should also go to them.